Marijuana comes from the hemp plan. It can readily be grown in fields across the nation and was cultivated heavily in colonial period. After 130 years of being legal, the potential problems of marijuana were brought into the public eye by Harry J. Anslingler, the commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and author of Marijuana: Assassi

Buckley, William F., Jr. "Crime is the Big Issue, But it Doesn't Separate Parties." Dallas Morning News 9 December 1994.

n of Youth (Goldman 88). In his book, Anslinger portrayed images of Mexican and Negro criminals, as well as young boys, who became killers while under the influence of marijuana. With the added public pressure, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This law made the use and sale of marijuana a federal offense. At this point marijuana was removed from the public eye, and heavy users included poor Negroes, migrant Mexicans, and Jazz Musicians (Himmelstein 3). Marijuana reappeared in the mid 1960's with the emergence of the "Hippie." Widespread objection to the use of marijuana remained because of the set of values and lifestyles associated with it, but use appeared in colleges and among middle-class youths in the suburbs (Himmelstein 103). Marijuana became a symbol of counter-culture, and youthful rebellion. As a consequence, marijuana use rose for the next ten years. Marijuana was becoming more accepted across the nation. As the demographics of marijuana users changed, the attitudes about the danger of marijuana broke down. In 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act reduced the classification of simple possession and non-profit distribution from felonies to misdemeanors (Himmelstein 104). This was a good start; however, President Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs in 1973 and over the next 20 years, each succeeding president continued to escalate the drug war. This policy has done nothing to stop the recreational use of drugs in this country; on the contrary, it is causing great harm. It's time to try something new.

An area that does not gather too much publicity in the legalization issue is hemp production. Marijuana comes from the top leaves and flowers of the female hemp plant. The fiber from the top can be used to make clothing, paper, rope, and methanol fuel. Hemp is a plant that can be grown in poor soil, thus not taking up any valuable agricultural land (NORML 4). Hemp now grows in the U.S. because of its heavy production in the 18th and 19th centuries. Seventy-Five to Ninety percent of all paper used before 1883 was hemp paper, including the first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence (Young 25). Hemp is safer for the environment. Hemp requires 40% fewer chemicals to produce paper, and, over twenty years, one acre of hemp can produce four times as much pulp as can an acre of trees (NORML 4). The production of hemp would save trees and clean up the air.

Along with these myths come the false belief that crime will increase if marijuana is legalized. Allen St. Pierre, Assistant National Director of the National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws (NORML), says that legalization will wipe out the 60-billion dollar black market by placing marijuana in the open market (NORML information pack 3). It is the enforcement of the laws criminalizing the possession, use, manufacture, and distribution of marijuana that are causing the violent crime. This war on drugs is wasting the money, as well as the lives of American people. The widely recognized opinion maker William F. Buckley, Jr. writes:

National Association for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "Marijuana: Facts and Figures." Information Pack. Washington, DCNORML, n.d.

When most people imagine the legalization of marijuana, they fear a marijuana free-for-all with everybody constantly getting high. Legalization would be a burdensome task for the U.S. Government. In fact, the legal process would include a law passed by Congress allowing the government to control th

Some common words found in the essay are:
Richard Nixon, Gabriel Nahas, United NORML, Buckley Jr, Civil Liberties, , Crowes Increasing, Amendments ACLU, Hippie Widespread, Laws NORML, hager 1, civil liberties, manufacture distribution, possession manufacture, possession manufacture distribution, aclu 1, criminalizing possession manufacture, marijuana users, marijuana laws, distribution drugs, war drugs, criminalizing possession, manufacture distribution drugs, marijuana hager 1, violations civil liberties,
Approximate Word count = 2510
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)